LOS ANGELES — On Thursday, August 28, 2003, UCLA and National University of Singapore (NUS) officially launched their joint Executive Master of Business Administration MBA (EMBA) program. Bruce Willison, dean of UCLA Anderson School of Management, participated in a signing ceremony at NUS, along with Professor Chris Erickson, who will serve as program director, managing UCLA Anderson's role in this new and unique EMBA program.

The new EMBA program was initiated by Anderson School Professor Chris Tang, who is currently on leave from UCLA while he serves as dean of NUS Business School. Prof. Tang, who holds the Edward W. Carter Chair in Business Administration at UCLA, worked closely with Dean Willison, Prof. Erickson, NUS colleagues and officials at UCLA’s graduate division for the last year to develop the new program and get it approved.

At the launch ceremony, Prof. Tang and Dean Willison signed a memo of understanding, as about 150 attendees looked on. Among those in the audience was Singapore’s acting minister of education, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who offered warm words of encouragement for the success of the new program. Dean Willison and Prof. Tang also shared their perspectives on the importance of this new EMBA program to their respective business schools and universities.

“Two great countries, two top universities, two MBA degrees, all in one unique program,” said Prof. Tang. “Indeed, the UCLA-NUS Executive MBA program provides a truly global education that synthesizes the best of the East and the West.”

The new Executive MBA program is dual-degree program designed to train top executives for the global marketplace. In this truly distinctive partnership, students will enter two of the world’s leading graduate management education programs. UCLA Anderson and the NUS Business School provide a learning culture that values individual vision, intellectual discipline and teamwork — an extraordinary framework in preparing senior executives for top management positions.

“Together our two leading business schools produce a remarkable synergy,” said Dean Willison. “We bring together an exceptional program offering exceptional value by two leading public universities.”

The program brings together faculty from both UCLA Anderson and NUS Business School who offer the highest standards of research and teaching to deliver an unparalleled response to the needs of organizations, leaders, managers and entrepreneurs in a profoundly changing global atmosphere. The UCLA-NUS partnership offers an unparalleled platform for learning in a highly interactive and experiential environment.

The launch of the UCLA-NUS EMBA program is especially timely in light of China’s entry into the World Trade Organization and the recently concluded U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement, which require business leaders who can think globally and act locally. The program provides a well-balanced general management focus that imparts knowledge and develops skills that executives need to manage multinational corporations.

“The increasingly global economy requires today’s managers to have not only the depth and breadth of knowledge and experience, but also the insight and foresight to move organizations ahead in the international marketplace,” said Dean Willison. “The UCLA-NUS Executive MBA Program will constantly test theory in real-world settings that students can readily apply to the workplace.”

The intensive program comprises six two-week residential segments in Los Angeles, Shanghai and Singapore over 15 months, providing in-depth exposure to the distinct intellectual and business cultures of these cities and adding much value to the total learning experience. Upon completion, students will receive degrees from both UCLA and NUS, both of whose business schools are accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).

Click here to find the date, time and location of an upcoming information session on the UCLA-NUS Executive MBA program.

About NUS Business School
NUS Business School, National University of Singapore, provides a rigorous, relevant, and rewarding business education that develops leaders for the global marketplace. It is the first in ASEAN and one of only seven in the Asia-Pacific to be accredited by AACSB International (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) for having met the highest standard of achievement in education and research for business schools worldwide. The School has been ranked by The Economist Intelligence Unit and Financial Times among the world’s top 100 business schools. It has also been rated consistently as a top business school in the Asia-Pacific regional publications such as Asia Inc and Chief Executive China.

About UCLA Anderson School of Management
UCLA Anderson School of Management is perennially ranked among the top-tier business schools in the world. Award-winning faculty renowned for their research and teaching, highly selective admissions, successful alumni and world-class facilities combine to provide an extraordinary learning environment. Established in 1935, UCLA Anderson provides management education to more than 1,400 students enrolled in full-time, part-time and executive MBA programs and doctoral programs.